Makuu/Main article
Makuu is a male crocodile. Biography ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar When Bunga hops on Makuu's head, the crocodile lifts himself out of the water in annoyance. He then proceeds to growl at Kion, who is following suit. The Lion Guard "The Rise of Makuu" When Pua, the leader of the crocodiles, refuses to offset the Circle of Life by hunting the fish in Big Springs, Makuu accuses him of being a coward and challenges him to a mashindano, thinking that the float has a right to the fish in Big Springs. Kion is disturbed by this turn of events and asks his father about Makuu's challenge. Simba explains that he must recognize and respect the traditions of other species, even if he doesn't always agree with them. Later, the animals of the Pride Lands gather to witness the mashindano, and Makuu manages to pull a victory over the aged Pua. Simba comes forward, recognizing Makuu's leadership, and thanks Pua for his service. Makuu then leads his float into Lake Matope, with Kion looking after him worriedly, wondering if the Pride Lands are in danger. After Pua's defeat, Kion receives word that the giraffes have moved into the baboon's forest. The Lion Guard rushes to the rescue, and Kion discovers that Makuu has invaded Big Springs, which has forced the other animals to switch habitats. Kion confronts Makuu, asking him to leave Big Springs, but the crocodile refuses, mocking Kion for being unwilling to fight. Though Bunga encourages Kion to use the Roar of the Elders, the cub decides against it, not wanting to be like Scar and lash out in anger. Instead, Kion goes to Pua, asking for him to call for another mashindano, but Pua reminds Kion that Makuu is much stronger than him. He then advises Kion to back down if he's not willing to fight Makuu. After Kion encounters Mufasa, he and his friends decide to demonstrate the Roar of the Elders on a grove of trees to show Makuu what he would be in for if he should attempt a fight. While Bunga, Fuli, and Ono set out to clear the grove of animals, Beshte and Kion confront Makuu. When Ono gives the signal, Kion roars into the trees, clearing them all of their branches. In awe, Makuu backs down and leads his float out of Big Springs. After Makuu leaves, the animals return to their habitats, and Basi invites the crocodiles to return to Big Springs once the fish population spikes. Makuu promises to keep his proposition in mind. The Lion Guard watches in satisfaction. "The Kupatana Celebration" Makuu appears briefly during "Jackal Style" and again at the Kupatana celebration. "The Call of the Drongo" Tamaa imitates Makuu in order to scare away small animals from their food. "Never Roar Again" Makuu first appears when he overhears Kion stating that he will never use the Roar of the Elders again. Makuu plans to make his move against the Pride Lands, only this time, he will invade the entire Flood Plains. After Makuu and his float take over the Flood Plains, a mongoose who had been chased away happens to run past Fuli, who resolves to save the Flood Plains with the rest of her team. She hastens to the Lair of the Lion Guard and relates what had happened to the Pride Landers. While Ono flies off to fetch Kion, the rest of the team departs to save the Flood Plains. Once there, Fuli orders Makuu to leave, but he simply laughs at them for having a leader who refuses to use the Roar of the Elders. Despite her confusion at Makuu's claim, Fuli threatens the crocodiles that they do not need Kion's Roar to defend the Pride Lands. She then attacks Makuu and orders Beshte and Bunga to take on the rest of the float. There is a brief struggle, but Makuu and his float manage to overpower the Lion Guard and trap them in the midst of the water. Kion, Nala, and Ono hasten to the scene of the crime, where Kion and Nala command Makuu to share the Flood Plains with the other Pride Landers. In answer, two of Makuu's cronies knock Nala into the water and carry her into the midst of the float, prompting Kion to nearly use the Roar in his fury. Before he can wreak havoc on the Flood Plains, he stops himself from roaring, and Nala calls for him to trust himself. Heeding his mother's advice, Kion uses the Roar to specifically target Makuu's float and keep Nala from being harmed. "Beshte and the Hippo Lanes" Basi and Beshte hear a young rhino crying for help. They arrive in time to rescue him from Makuu and his float, whom they chastise for not honoring the rule that no animal is to be attacked while trying to cross the Flood Plains after a rainstorm. Makuu relents, but insults hippos for always following the rules. Later, as Basi is helping Beshte make hippo lanes, Makuu and his float spy on them from the reeds. Beshte forges ahead, leaving Basi behind, and the crocodiles corner him in the hippo lane. Just in time, Beshte arrives to defend his father, but Makuu gloats that he and his float have numbers on their side this time. Basi encourages his son to stand strong against the float, but Beshte reminds Basi that he is injured. He then tells his father to follow him through a new hippo lane. With Beshte in the lead, the hippos begin to weave a winding trail through the Flood Plains, leading Makuu and his float on a wild chase. The two manage to cross over another hippo lane, but as the crocodiles move to follow them, they get trampled by Bupu's herd. The crocodiles pull back, winded, and Beshte chastises them for endangering the animals of the Pride Lands. In utter defeat, Makuu and his float swim off into the Flood Plains. "Ono the Tickbird" Mwenzi the tickbird alights near a swamp after having a fight with his friend Kifaru, and Ono warns him that Makuu and his float frequent the area. Despite Ono's warning, Mwenzi refuses to trust him. However, he warms up to Ono eventually, and the two start to leave the area. Just then, Makuu attacks, hurting Mwenzi's wing and knocking him into the branches of a tree. Ono manages to save him from Makuu, but leaves to fetch the Lion Guard for help. Makuu continually knocks his tail against Mwenzi's tree in an attempt to dislodge him. He manages to jump up and bite Mwenzi's branch in half, leaving him with little room to maneuver, but before he can try again, Kifaru arrives and charges at him. However, Kifaru misjudges Makuu's location and rams into a tree stump, trapping his horn in bark. Makuu sees Kifaru's prone position as an opportunity for larger prey and rallies his float to take down the rhino. Just then, the Lion Guard arrives and fights Makuu off. During the commotion, Mwenzi hops down from his tree and instructs Kifaru on how to free himself from the tree stump. Once free, Kifaru uses the tree stump as a weapon and helps free the other Lion Guard members from their entanglements. He rams Makuu last, knocking him and the tree stump into the swamp, and yells after him that that's what he gets for messing with Mwenzi. "The Savannah Summit" Mtoto the young elephant informs the Lion Guard that several important Pride Landers are heading toward Pride Rock. Kion realizes that it is time for the Savannah Summit, an important yearly event in which leaders in the Pride Lands discuss how they will proceed during the dry season. No sooner has he revealed this when Mtoto overhears a crocodile heading to Pride Rock, and Ono spots Makuu en route to the Summit. Kion deduces that Makuu must be trying to spoil the event, and he and the Lion Guard take off to thwart the danger. Once at Pride Rock, Kion tackles Makuu. Makuu protests that he had been invited, and Simba confirms to Kion that he had invited Makuu to Pride Rock himself. With Simba's support, Makuu promises to take his duties seriously, much to the discomfort of the other Pride Lander leaders. Kion attempts to convince his father that Makuu is untrustworthy, but Simba insists that all animals must be treated equally in the Pride Lands, no matter their past transgressions. He then tasks Kion with watching over the event in case the other animals decide to treat Makuu unfairly. Together, the party proceeds to Mizimu Grove. Along the way, Twiga the giraffe and Vuruga Vuruga the cape buffalo speak resentfully about Makuu's past actions and how readily Simba is willing to forgive him. However, Zazu interrupts their talking, and the group continues, with Simba and Zazu singing "Everyone Is Welcome". Once at Mizimu Grove, the Lion Guard comments on how well the animals are behaving, though Kion remains unconvinced of Makuu's reformation. As they speak, the Lion Guard notices that Makuu is missing from the event, and Mtoto runs up with news that Makuu is speaking angrily near the watering hole. The Lion Guard takes off to stop the danger and arrives on the scene to find Makuu arguing with Bupu, the antelope leader. Without asking for an explanation, Kion orders Makuu to back off. Despite the Lion Guard's presence, Bupu attacks Makuu, who attempts to defend himself until Kion chastises him again, claiming that he will not let anyone ruin the Savannah Summit, "especially" not Makuu. Though Makuu is bothered by Kion's bias, he backs off in an attempt to not start trouble. While patrolling the Pride Lands for trouble, Mtoto overhears Twiga speaking about Makuu, and he informs the Lion Guard of what he has heard. Bunga assumes that there is trouble, and Kion worries that Makuu will ruin the Summit. Together, the team takes off to protect Twiga, but when they arrive on the scene, Makuu is nowhere to be found, only Twiga and Vuruga Vuruga. Bunga proclaims that Mtoto had heard Makuu, but Mtoto clarifies that he had only heard Twiga speaking about Makuu. Twiga is quick to deny this assertion, and Vuruga Vuruga backs her up. The Lion Guard leaves, privately deducing that Twiga and Vuruga Vuruga are too afraid to tell the truth about Makuu because he had threatened them. Later, Mtoto rushes up to the Lion Guard and proclaims that Makuu is yelling at Bupu again, this time at Pride Rock. The team rushes to Pride Rock, where Kion tackles Makuu to the ground. Simba approaches, furious, and exclaims that Bupu and Makuu had been about to come to an agreement about sleeping situations for their respective species. An enraged Makuu accuses the other Pride Landers of not trusting him and wonders why he should trust them when they are not willing to give him a chance. He then stalks off, enraged, with Simba calling after him desperately. When Kion realizes that Makuu may be being targeted by other Pride Landers, the team rushes to Mizimu Grove, where they save Makuu from falling into a pit full of rotten fruit. Makuu realizes that someone had set a trap for him, and Kion proclaims that he knows how to find out who is to blame. Later that day, Kion announces to the Summit that Makuu had fallen into a pit and lost his life in the struggle. A horrified Twiga and Vuruga Vuruga exclaim that they had never intended for Makuu to get hurt. Just then, Makuu reveals himself and announces to the gathered animals that he had come to the Summit with the intention of helping his float and the Pride Lands, but had only received distrust and hostility. The other animals fear his wrath, but Makuu merely prompts Simba to let the Summit go on. With negotiations reinitiated, Simba compliments Kion for his work, and the other animals act graciously with Makuu. Comics The Day of the Crocodiles When a landslide blocks up a waterfall, the river overflows its bank, and Makuu and his float are given free reign of the Pride Lands. A furious Kion confronts Makuu, telling him to stick to his own territory, but the crocodile simply points out that the flooded river is indeed his territory. As Makuu slithers away, the Lion Guard vows to put a stop to his schemes, and Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to break the dam and allow the river to flow as usual. Physical appearance Makuu is young, sleek, and well-built, with green scales and a pale underbelly. His eyes are yellow with black pupils and ringed with darker scales. Personality and traits Makuu is a boastful crocodile who loves to bask in the attention of others. He can be a bit of a showoff, as seen when he flamboyantly sees Pua out of the float, and rarely shows respect for other creatures. Unlike his predecessor, Makuu has no respect for tradition or the Circle of Life, and certainly not for authority (except his own), seeing both Pua and Kion as weak and cowardly. He appears to only respond to strength and power, as he was awestruck by the Roar of the Elders and gave into Kion's second demand to leave Big Springs while trying to save face. However, his partaking in the Kupatana celebration indicates that he has come to respect the Circle of Life, as he, along with another crocodile, kindly allow a mouse to pass between them. He reverts back to his old ways in "Never Roar Again", as he attempts to take over the Flood Plains when Kion vows to never use the Roar of the Elders again. However, as seen in "The Savannah Summit", Makuu is somewhat growing as a leader, as he willingly accepts Simba's invitation to join the summit meeting so as to negotiate with the other leaders on how to make their respective species survive the dry season. Voice actors * 'The Lion Guard''' - (2016–) - (TV series) - Blair Underwood Gallery References Category:Animals Category:Antagonists Category:Characters Category:Crocodiles Category:Leaders Category:The Lion Guard Characters Category:The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar Characters Category:Males Category:Official Characters Category:Pride Landers Category:Protagonists